News from the Columbia Climate School

Author: Lily Roberts

Lily Roberts is a postgraduate student at the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, UK. She is writing a thesis on ice dynamics on Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica. As part of her Masters program she is also covering topics related to glaciers, ice sheets, sea level and polar remote sensing. Lily continues to write for the GlacierHub section of State of the Planet through her early academic career.

Greenland’s Long and Intense Melt Season Is a Worrying Sign for Sea Level

Summer melt across Greenland has broken records this year.
Machine Learning Techniques Can Speed Up Glacier Modeling By A Thousand Times

Glacier modeling techniques that involve artificial intelligence can produce high fidelity results to a large number of questions much more quickly than traditional approaches.
Sea Ice That Slowed the Flow of Antarctic Glaciers Abruptly Shatters In Three Days

Since 2011, a mass of sea ice from the Larsen B ice shelf helped stabilize the landward glaciers, but the stopgap rapidly disintegrated in January 2022.
Weddell Seal Population May Be Much Lower Than Previously Thought

High-resolution satellite images allowed researchers to do a more comprehensive head count than ever before, and revealed patterns in the seals’ distribution.
Traditional Water Management Practices in Pakistan Threatened by Climate Change and Globalization

A practice used to manage glacial water resources that is central to cultures in northern Pakistan is facing enormous transformation in the modern day.
Crucial Antarctic Glacier Likely to Collapse Much Earlier than Expected

Thwaites Glacier, dubbed Antarctica’s ‘doomsday glacier,’ has been predicted to undergo dramatic changes, with its ice shelf likely to break apart in as little as five years.
Russian Geopolitical Strategies in the Arctic Are Complicated by Rapid Glacier Retreat on Remote Islands

On a remote High Arctic island covered by glaciers, melting ice is a key player in Russian military and political interests.
New United Nations Report on Climate Change Documents the Grave Condition of the World’s Glaciers

Almost all of the world’s glaciers are in retreat.
COVID-19 Lockdowns Led to the Cleanest Snow Across Asia in 20 Years

Reduced air pollution led to cleaner snow in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush, with significant implications for water supplies for people across the Indus River Basin.

Greenland’s Long and Intense Melt Season Is a Worrying Sign for Sea Level

Summer melt across Greenland has broken records this year.
Machine Learning Techniques Can Speed Up Glacier Modeling By A Thousand Times

Glacier modeling techniques that involve artificial intelligence can produce high fidelity results to a large number of questions much more quickly than traditional approaches.
Sea Ice That Slowed the Flow of Antarctic Glaciers Abruptly Shatters In Three Days

Since 2011, a mass of sea ice from the Larsen B ice shelf helped stabilize the landward glaciers, but the stopgap rapidly disintegrated in January 2022.
Weddell Seal Population May Be Much Lower Than Previously Thought

High-resolution satellite images allowed researchers to do a more comprehensive head count than ever before, and revealed patterns in the seals’ distribution.
Traditional Water Management Practices in Pakistan Threatened by Climate Change and Globalization

A practice used to manage glacial water resources that is central to cultures in northern Pakistan is facing enormous transformation in the modern day.
Crucial Antarctic Glacier Likely to Collapse Much Earlier than Expected

Thwaites Glacier, dubbed Antarctica’s ‘doomsday glacier,’ has been predicted to undergo dramatic changes, with its ice shelf likely to break apart in as little as five years.
Russian Geopolitical Strategies in the Arctic Are Complicated by Rapid Glacier Retreat on Remote Islands

On a remote High Arctic island covered by glaciers, melting ice is a key player in Russian military and political interests.
New United Nations Report on Climate Change Documents the Grave Condition of the World’s Glaciers

Almost all of the world’s glaciers are in retreat.
COVID-19 Lockdowns Led to the Cleanest Snow Across Asia in 20 Years

Reduced air pollution led to cleaner snow in the Himalayas and Hindu Kush, with significant implications for water supplies for people across the Indus River Basin.